The Overhand knot is used in other knots including the Square knot which is two Overhand knots. The overhand knot can be used temporarily but can untie very easily if tied around something. The overhand knot can be used as a stopper knot and can keep a rope from fraying or unraveling but the Figure Eight is a much better stopper knot.

The square knot is also known as the joining knot because it can join two ropes together and because it is the first knot Scouts learn when they join the BSA. It has many uses-from securing bundles, packages, and the sails of ships to tying the ends of bandages.

There have probably been more lives lost as a result of using a square knot as a bend (to tie two ropes together) than from the failure of any other half dozen knots combined." The Sheet Bend is as easy to tie and untie.

When your shoes keep coming untied, it is because you are tying Granny knots instead of Square knots. The Granny knot is given to show what not to do. The Granny knot will come untied almost immediately and is not used for any Boy Scout application.

Use two half-hitches to tie a rope around a post. Pass the end of the rope around the post. Bring the end over and under the body of the rope (known as the standing part), then back through the loop thus formed. That makes a half hitch. Take the end around the standing part a second time and tie another half hitch. Pull it snug.

The taut-line hitch is tied to a line that is tight, or taut. Use it to tighten or loosen a tent guyline by pushing the hitch up or down. Here's how:

Pass the line around the tent stake. Bring the end under and over the standing part and twice through the loop you have formed. Again bring the pore end under, over, and through the loop, but this time farther up the standing part. Work any slack out of the knot, then slide the hitch to adjust the tension on the line.

Bowline knot – rescue knot, most useful of knots because it forms a loop that will not slip and is easy to untie. Use it to attach a cord to a pack frame, tie a rope through a grommet of a tent, secure a line to a canoe, and in rescue situations, and in a thousand other ways. Learn to tie the bowline around a post and in the free end of a rope. With practice, you can even tie it with one hand.

Make a small overhand loop in the standing part of a rope. Bring the rope end up through the loop, around behind the standing part, and back down into the loop. Tighten the bowline by pulling the standing part away from the loop.

The Bowline makes a reasonably secure loop in the end of a piece of rope. It has many uses, e.g., to fasten a mooring line to a ring or a post. Under load, it does not slip or bind. With no load it can be untied easily. It's principle shortcoming is that it cannot be tied, or untied, when there is a load on the standing end. It should therefore be avoided when, for example, a mooring line may have to be released under load. Two bowlines can be linked together to join two ropes.

The One Handed Bowline is a useful and quick way to tie a bowline when the other hand is occupied or injured. There are three main steps.1. Hold the short end and tie a half hitch with your whole forearm.2. Pass the short end round the standing end.3. Still holding the short end, withdraw your hand from the loop.

Since clove comes from the word cleave meaning “to split”, a clove hitch is split into two parts like the foot of a deer or a sheep – used to end lashings… form the first half hitch of the clove hitch by taking a bight (loop) around the pole and then across itself.

Form the second half hitch of the clove hitch by taking the second bight around the pole and tucking the end of the rope under the rope between the two loops. When pulled tight, the clove hitch should look like an X. The difference between a clove hitch and two half-hitches is that a clove hitch is tied around an object and two half-hitches are tied around the rope’s own standing part.

An alternative way of tying a clove hitch it to make and overhand loop in the rope. Then make a second overhand loop next to the first loop. Next, without turning over either loop, place the first loop on top of the second loop. Finally, place the two loops over the end of a pole or around the neck of the bear bag and pull tight.

The Timber Hitch is described by as much used for handling cargo "... for which it is very convenient, as it practically falls apart when pull ceases." It is also useful when towing a spar or log either afloat or on land. When used for this purpose, the Timber Hitch is often placed near the center of the spar and a separate half-hitch is dropped over the end of the spar to act as a guide.

Whipping and Fusing rope

Whipping:
If the cut end is left un-whipped, the rope will fray or untwist, and loose strength. Whip the ends of ropes to prevent fraying and prolongs the life of the rope.

Instructions

Lay twine (or dental floss) on rope to form a loop. Wrap the twine around with neat, tight bindings until the length of whipping is two to three times the diameter of the rope. Pull the working end of twine through the loop. Pull hard on the other end of the twine to draw tight under the wraps. Cut off loose ends and roll the whipping under foot.

Fusing:
Tape the nylon, polyester, polypropylene rope around the area to be cut. Cut in middle of the tape leaving tape intact on each side. When cutting these fibers with a pocket knife or scissors, the cut ends should be fused with a match or candle flame to prevent untwisting. Natural fiber ropes do not fuse.